ORs: (US) Report of Brig. Gen. D. S. Stanley - December 13, 1862

War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
Series 1, Volume 20, Part 1 Page 76

HDQRS. CAV., 14TH A. C., ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Near Nashville,
December 13, 1862.

COLONEL:
I have the honor to submit an account of a scout I made from this place on Thursday. I started at daylight, moved down the Franklin pike to Brentwood. At that point I took the Wilson pike, with the design qf striking the road from Franklin to Murfreesborongh, expecting to destroy the supply trains I had learned were moving on that road. We had not, however, passed Brentwood but 2 miles when our advance guard engaged the enemy's pickets, and soon encountered a full regiment. The enemy fled south, and, at a point on the pike due west from Triune, turned offtoward that place. I designed to pass on after driving the enemy 2 miles from the road, but they grew bold, and dismounted to fight our men on foot. Upon my endeavoring to close in on them,they again fled. This delay caused me to change my plan, and I took the old Liberty road to Franklin. Night came on when we had reached the Widow Waters’ plantation, and I bivouacked at 9 o’clock. One of the enemy’s pickets fired upon mine, wounding, probably mortally, a private in Captain Juhan’s company, First Middle Tennessee Cavalry. At midnight they again fired upon my pickets.

Leaving at 4 o’clock next morning, I reached Franklin a little after daybreak. The enemy’s pickets were met 1 1/2 miles east of the place. Upon getting up to the town, I found the enemy inconsiderable force on the bank of the Harpeth, and in the mill and houses. The Fourth Michigan, Colonel Minty, and the Seventh Pennsylvania, Major Wynkoop, were dismounted, and were soon sharply engaged with the enemy. The latter soon fled, and before I could get Colonel McCook’s brigade behind them. We killed 4 of the enemy, including 1 officer; wounded some 8 or 9, and took 11 prisoners. I intended to burn the mill, which has been turning out 100 barrels of flour daily for the rebel army, but I found that to do so would destroy part of the town; I had the machinery and burrsof the mill entirely destroyed. My loss is 1 man mortally wounded and 4 horses killed. I captured 10 horses, 4 wagons loaded with flour, and destroyed one wagon-load of brandy and whisky on its way to the rebel army. I am happy to be able to report that my men behaved well. The officers and men of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, who did the fighting principally, are brave and good troops. lieports from division and brigade commanders will be sent in.

Respectfully submitted.

D. S. STANLEY,
Brigadier-General, Commanding Cavalry.

Colonel GARESCHX